Venetian blind tilt shaft mechanism



F J. BURNS VENETIAN BLIND TILT SHAFT MECHANISM Jan. 31,, 1950 Filed June 6, 1946 my 5 a a a4} 5 Qa... Z a H aw 5 a m 2 w 2 m 74' y i JHJ Patented Jan. 31, 1950 EATENT UVENETIAN BLI DI sH F MEQHANQ Fred J. Burns, Saginaw, Mich, assignor to The Columbia Mills, Inc.,"l l ew' York, N. Y. Application J one 6, 1946, SerialNo, 574,116

We s aw-aw This invention relatesv to Venetian blind slat tilting, mechanism, a'ndmore particularly to the mechanism to which the ladder tape.,is'attached desired positioned of adjustment On'e'of the prime objects ottheinvention is to design av tilt shaft mechanismI provided with and whichisoperable to tilt the blind 'slatstoahy means for compounding or multiplying the throw Still a further object is to design a islatitilting mechanism that can be used with both removable and non-remoyable slats; that permits complete tilting in a very small, compact head box, and provides unobstructed cord space, insuring longer ,corcl life and free lowering and/ or raising of.'t he $13,138.

v With the above and'other objects inview the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportion, and minor details of construction, with out departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional view through the head box of a Venetian blind showing the tilt shaft mechanism and saddle arms in normal horizontal position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the mechanism in tilted position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, perspective view of the tilt mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical, part-sectional front view of the blind.

In the drawing, the numeral !2 indicates the head box of a Venetian blind which can be formed of wood, metal, or any other desired material, and in the present instance I have shown it formed of metal, U-shaped in cross section. A tilt shaft T is journaled in the head box 42 in any desired manner, and is flatted as at I3, and for a purpose to be presently described.

The blind includes a plurality of slats l4, suitably supported in tape ladders generally indicated at 15, each of the tape ladders comprising a pair of vertically extending tapes I6 and I1 respecc o'ss str nd i th bottom tirel nd. be we n, h chcxten a p a ty of J 8 then. whi h th s ts 4] te i Trans rsely spaced openings 19 are provided wall in of'the headibox J2, and the ends of the tapes i6 and "i1 leadtherethrough'and are secured to a U shaped bar bracket Bi v'vhich ismo nted on the tilt shaft T.

The bar bracket 2'l c'or nprise's a horizontally disposed bar section 22 termi naiti wardly extending legs 23, theend bent be presently describedl f whi fh fare purpose to h zonta ly as; at: 24,f landi fora An elongated slot 25 is formed in the bracket 2| as shown, and into whichthe endsof the-ta'pps I6 and I! are inserted, and'alocking' meniper'zs i s i nse rtable intosaid slot rleasably securing said tape in position, as shownand describedin my companion application for fTape securing m e is l. fimb jfiitl l r11 er ada lfhe tilt shaft is formed with longitudinal flatted' sections l3,said"shaft exterfd suitablyshaped openings 28 pr e mem ers we mediate their length; I jThe opposed saddle members, f29 are .n ie on the tilt shaft 1'' for cornfpopndingthethrow pf theshaft, each saddle comprising a horizontally d ose se ti 30 avin lat all ex en n 30 b'ent legs 3 formed integral therewith, the length of the legs determining the throw, the lower edge of each leg being formed with a straight section 32 that rests on the turned flat sections 24 of the bracket 2|, so that rotation of the tilt shaft will raise the saddle on the one side of the shaft, while the saddle on the opposite side drops accordingly, and this raising of the saddle draws the tape taut and provides suificient throw for all necessary slat adjustment; reverse rotation tilts the slats in the opposite direction and in exactly the same manner.

It will be noted that the saddle legs are downwardly curved, and when the tilt shaft is rotated the travel of the section 30 maintains the tape substantially in true vertical alignment, and the throw is limited only by the dimensions of the head box. I

Conventional lift cords 33 are provided for raising and lowering the blind, these cords leading through openings 34 provided in the head box, and a U-shaped roller bracket S is provided beneath each bracket assembly, said roller bracket being formed with side Walls 35, the upper edge of which is inwardly curved as at 36 to provide a smooth surface over which the tape rides. Upwardly turned cars 31 are struck from the body of the roller bracket S and a roller 38 is journaled in said bracket, and the lift cord 33 is trained thereover.

Longitudinally disposed clips 39 are punched in the bottom wall of the head box, these clips overlying the edges of the roller bracket when assembled, and are then clinched to anchor the bracket in proper position.

When the tilt shaft is actuated, the tape slides over the side wall 35 of the roller bracket S, continued rotation swinging one of the saddles upwardly and into engagement with the tape so that the tape moves through the arc of travel described by the section 30 of the saddle bar, also maintaining substantially the same tape spacing even though the movement is rotary.

The means for rotating the tilt shaft is not herein described as it forms the subject matter of a separate application to be filed.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that I have perfected a very simple, practical, efficient, and economical tilt shaft mechanism by means of which the blind slats can be fully tilted; which maintains the ladder tape in true, vertical alignment; which will not become loose; and which requires no tapping or screws for mounting and installation.

What I claim is:

1. In a Venetian blind structure, a tilt shaft, a bracket mounted thereon and to which the end of the ladder tape is connected, opposed saddle members mounted on said shaft and angularly displaceable relative to each other and to the tilt shaft, and means on said bracket for swinging one of said saddle members as the tilt shaft is actuated.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which the bracket means comprises horizontally disposed extensions on the ends of the bracket for swinging one of the saddle members when the shaft is rotated.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the blind structure includes a head box, and a pulley bracket mounted in said housing and provided with smooth, curved side walls for guiding the ends of the ladder tape.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which the saddle members comprise a horizontally disposed section formed with laterally projecting, downwardly curved legs.

5. A Venetian blind comprising in combination, a head box, a rotatable tilt shaft, a tape securing bar bracket mounted thereon and to which the ends of the tape are secured, horizontally disposed extensions formed on said bracket below said shaft and in alignment therewith, opposed saddle members mounted on said shaft and angular-1y displaceable relative to each other and to the tilt shaft a the shaft is actuated, and means mounted in the head box below said tilt shaft for guiding said tape.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 in which the tape guiding means comprises a pulley bracket having vertical side walls with curved ends and a pulley journaled on said bracket.

7. The combination as defined in claim 5 in which the bracket extensions are located a predetermined distance below the tilt shaft, and the saddle members comprise a horizontally disposed section formed with laterally extending angularly shaped legs, the lower edges of the free ends of each leg being formed with a straight section that bear on said extensions when the tilt shaft is tilted in a predetermined direction.

8. The combination as defined in claim 5 in which the bar bracket is U-shaped and formed with an elongated opening in the connecting bar, and serrations in the side edges defining said opening.

FRED J. BURNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Name Date 2,166,599 Kuyper July 18, 1939 2,222,226 Hasse Nov. 19, 1940 2,223,633 McKerlie Dec. 3, 1940 2,405,153 Kirsch Aug. 6, 1946 

